Fewer touches than Olsen: £70k-p/w Villa gem who lost 75% duels disappointed badly - opinion

Aston Villa fell to a 3-2 defeat away at Manchester City this afternoon despite being 2-0 up with 15 minutes to go as Pep Guardiola’s side scored three goals in five minutes to secure their fourth Premier League title in five years.

Goals from Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho either side of halftime looked as though they would stun City and offer a helping hand to Liverpool in the title race, however, Steven Gerrard’s side completely collapsed as the Citizens completed a dramatic comeback.

Despite seeing just 29% of possession, Gerrard’s side had shown quality via direct play prior to their collapse.

However, losing the midfield battle late on was a major contributing factor to the turnaround with John McGinn at the heart of it.

Usually reliable for Villa, the Scotsman made just 24 touches throughout the entire 90 minutes, less than half of the understudy goalkeeper Robin Olsen’s 55 who made his Villa debut with Emi Martinez rested ahead of international commitments.

Moreover, the 27-year-old attempted just 15 passes, completing nine with a 60% accuracy whilst also failing to complete a single long ball or cross.

Whilst completing nine passes, McGinn also lost possession on nine occasions as well as 75% of his attempted duels in a lacklustre display.

With the West Midlands outfit expected to reinforce in their midfield this summer, a poor display from the £70k-per-week midfielder to round off the season certainly won’t have helped his claim for a regular starting spot once again next term.

The likes of Geoffrey Kondogbia, Kalvin Phillips and Ibrahima Sangare have all been amongst the midfielders linked with a move to Villa Park this summer which could spell the end of McGinn’s, as well as other midfielders at Villa,